Work Without Limits Receives Special Recognition

Greater Boston Business Council honors UMass Medical School Program
as Outstanding Business Member of the Year.

UMass Medical School/Work Without Limits Team at the Greater Boston Business Council (GBBC) Awards for Excellence Dinner on Friday, January 25, 2013, at the Top of The Hub in Boston. Work Without Limits was awarded the GBBC's Outstanding Business Member of the Year Award for Excellence in Community Service. From L to R: Jason Stanislawzyk, Marlene Tucker, Michelle Nowers, John Trobaugh, Kathy Petkauskos, Sean Driscoll, Alexis Henry, Clara Orlando, David Polakoff, Jorge Sanchez. (Photo: Business Wire)

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UMass Medical School/Work Without Limits Team at the Greater Boston Business Council (GBBC) Awards for Excellence Dinner on Friday, January 25, 2013, at the Top of The Hub in Boston. Work Without Limits was awarded the GBBC's Outstanding Business Member of the Year Award for Excellence in Community Service. From L to R: Jason Stanislawzyk, Marlene Tucker, Michelle Nowers, John Trobaugh, Kathy Petkauskos, Sean Driscoll, Alexis Henry, Clara Orlando, David Polakoff, Jorge Sanchez. (Photo: Business Wire)

WORCESTER, Mass.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--The Greater Boston Business Council honored UMass Medical School’s Work
Without Limits program with its Outstanding Business Member of the
Year Award for Excellence in Community Service at its recent annual
awards ceremony.

Work Without Limits is a statewide network of employers and partners who
aim to increase employment among individuals with disabilities. Launched
in 2009, the program is the result of a comprehensive plan to address
the many challenges that contribute to unemployment and underemployment
of people with disabilities.

The program works with several disability-employment organizations to
deliver services, such as candidate recruitment and training, to
Massachusetts employers. It also provides businesses with information
and resources needed to manage and accommodate an increasingly diverse
workforce.

The Greater
Boston Business Council (GBBC), the Boston area’s leading business
group for the lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgendered community, was
established in 1990 to promote the business and professional interests
of its members.

“We are very honored to receive this award from the Greater Boston
Business Council, a leader in promoting more diverse workplaces in the
Boston area,” said Alexis Henry, PhD, director of the disability, health
and employment policy unit at UMass Medical School, the home of Work
Without Limits. “The award underscores our continued strategic
partnership with the GBBC to create more meaningful work opportunities
for people with disabilities. Our work would not be possible without
such partnerships, so in addition to thanking them for this honor we are
also extremely grateful for their assistance,” Dr. Henry added.

The GBBC recognized Work Without Limits’ leadership not only in the
disability community, but also for aligning its work to reduce barriers
to employment for other diverse communities.

“We could not be happier to present this community service award to Work
Without Limits,” said Valerie B. Clark, president of the GBBC. “In many
ways, the mission of Work Without Limits complements the mission and
focus of the GBBC, which at its core is about promoting acceptance,
eliminating barriers and increasing inclusion of populations whose
strengths and talents are too often overlooked in the wider business
community.”

Ms. Clark also praised Sean Driscoll, director of business relations for
Work Without Limits, for working with the GBBC to increase employer
engagement activities. “I think we all recognize that this partnership
would not have been possible, or as successful, if not for Sean’s
passion and hard work. This award is an affirmation of everything he has
done to make this a meaningful and productive collaboration for Work
Without Limits and the businesses we represent,” she said.

Other recipients at GBBC’s awards ceremony included Blue Cross Blue
Shield of Massachusetts as Corporation of The Year, and the
Massachusetts General Hospital, which received the President’s Award.

To learn more about Work Without Limits and how the program can assist
businesses in developing a more diverse and inclusive workplace, visit www.workwithoutlimits.org.

For information on the Greater Boston Business Council, visit the GBBC’s
website at www.gbbc.org.

Courtesy Photo attached:

Suggested Caption: UMass Medical School/Work Without Limits Team at
the GBBC Awards for Excellence Dinner on Friday, January 25, 2013, at
the Top of The Hub in Boston. Work Without Limits was awarded the
GBBC’s Outstanding Business Member of the Year Award for Excellence in
Community Service. From L to R: Jason Stanislawzyk, Marlene Tucker,
Michelle Nowers, John Trobaugh, Kathy Petkauskos, Sean Driscoll,
Alexis Henry, Clara Orlando, David Polakoff, Jorge Sanchez.

About the University of Massachusetts Medical School

The University of Massachusetts Medical School, one of the
fastest-growing academic health sciences centers in the country, has
built a reputation as a world-class research institution, consistently
producing noteworthy advances in clinical and basic research. The
Medical School attracts more than $255 million in research funding
annually, 80 percent of which comes from federal funding sources. The
mission of the Medical School is to advance the health and well-being of
the people of Massachusetts and the world, through pioneering education,
research, public service and health care delivery. Commonwealth
Medicine, the Medical School’s health care consulting and operations
division, provides a wide range of care management and consulting
services to government agencies and health care organizations. For more
information, visit commed.umassmed.edu.